


Like Real People Do

by Stressedspidergirl



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Geralt of Rivia and Yennefer of Vengerberg are Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon's Parents, Good Parent Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Insecure Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier | Dandelion Loves Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, M/M, Multi, Protective Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:33:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25832842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stressedspidergirl/pseuds/Stressedspidergirl
Summary: From the drabble collection, only it's getting out of hand and needing it's own space to collect.Yennefer owns a little community type herbalist shop with a tiny cafe.Geralt was submitted for clinical trials as a child that have changed his appearance and body.Jaskier is a relatively popular musician who tours a lot.He is already dating Jaskier, and ends up dating Yennefer, too. When Ciri shows up, with his partners' help Geralt adopts her and they move into a house with enough land to have a horse or two.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Comments: 52
Kudos: 67





	1. The Set Up

**Author's Note:**

> I will, if necessary, try and remember to add content warnings as we go. I make no promises any of this will be in order, because I just end up feeling like writing random things, which is something I didn't really expect. So just keep in mind this is a random collection I feel like occasionally dabbling in as the whim hits. Not, a serious fic with intentions to update and write and edit and beta.

So this is about how it started, and I figured rather than make you jump around to multiple works, I'd post it here for your convenience. Only I'm beefing it up, so if you've seen it before skim for changes. 

imagine Geralt as an adult who goes to Yennefer’s herbalist shop for tea and breakfast every morning. Some herbal tea for his stomach and some stupid weird muffin (replacing witchers elixirs). Yennefer has a degree in both O-chem and Botany, with a minor in biology that had a focus on pre-med. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do with herself, and went through all of that. She debated getting a masters, and eventually did but it's in business management, hence owning her own shop. While she doesn't have the education on paper, she has continued her learning about herbs, and natural remedies etc. She's very good at what she does, and while she doesn't pretend to be a medical expert or get herself into legal trouble, for the average run of the mill colds and sore throats, etc, she's got a wide range of things that should help. She has friends and connections around the town so that she gets all of her ingredients local and fresh, and grows a bunch of the herbs she uses in the shop itself. She has a loft above the shop, and it's nicely set up. She makes good money and while she isn't always the friendliest of people, she treats her employees well and her customers know they can trust her. She sort of plays up the 'witch' vibe here and there at work, but in her down time she's happy to wear sweats and a hoodie and be lazy rather than performative. Very few people see that side of her. 

They talk sometimes. His musician boyfriend is only in town sometimes and plays in Yen’s shop here and there. He drives them both nuts but they like him okay. Yennefer knows Julian, a struggling musician who once in a while used to play in her shop during the cafe hours. She has no idea Julian is Jaskier. 

Yen eventually finds out the reason Geralt has white hair before he’s 30 is because his mom owed debts and would submit him for medical trials as a kid to pay what she owed. He was taken from his mother, and kept in a facility like something out of a horrible sci-fi novel. He wasn't born in the US, and eventually made his way from his home country (Poland) to the US where he could formally sue the medicinal companies that were spreading out and experimenting on people with looser laws or just places it was easier to hide children. He can speak Polish, Russian, and German, English is his fourth language. 

Some company called Vesemir or something he’s not too sure -that might have been the name of one of the characters, he really doesn't have a good grasp on what all happened to him as a boy beyond the pain, just that bright lights hurt his eyes, and the color changes thanks to 1 trial. But he’s got extra good night vision. So many different drug trials that shouldn't have been done at the same time that were... has led to him not having the easiest of lives. 

He frequently gets a little on the sick side, having bad migraines and other sensory issues. It's not that he isn't strong, or capable, or smart, or fast, it's just that years of being used as a literal lab rat took a really bad toll on him. 

His teeth are a little extra white and a little sharp. He’s not sure why, his skin is super pale but he doesn’t burn too easily so it could be worse. Although certain textures bother him because his sense of touch is stronger than usual. Not to mention his hearing is better than normal, too. But it’s wrecked his stomach and trying to get away once ended up breaking his leg and they couldn’t pay to fix it right. So clinical trials later it still bothers him years later, but he’s working on it. 

After reaching the US and putting himself through school on scholarship he graduated with a fairly useless degree but he’s been able to sue some of those drug companies for what they did. So he’s got some money. But he guest lectures on niche medieval history. Not to mention he took a bunch of random sword fighting, smithing, and fencing classes for fun and was very very competitive, in spite of his struggles with his health. He’s still good and occasionally teaches self defense class at a friend’s studio/gym that they also rent out to martial arts classes. In essence he has no steady job but plenty of work whenever he wants it and enough to live on fairly comfortably. He doesn't want to risk trying to hold down a job and then having a miserable flareup and losing it. Better to have a contract based resume rather than a 9-5. 

Which is good because sometimes he doesn’t much feel like moving because everything hurts.

He and Yen get close as time goes on. Geralt has full permission to fuck whomever he pleases when his boyfriend is out of town, since said boyfriend is gone for months at a time. He never intentionally hits on Yennefer. One day it’s raining and he walks her to his place because it’s closer and he doesn’t even make a move. She’s so surprised by it all. She knows how beautiful she is, and how many men would love to get with her. But as usual, Geralt is always different. It's what draws her to him, his kindness when he doesn't have to be. His compassion, his interest in all sorts of random things. His history fascinations didn't lean to healing remedies, but they're able to talk and connect and bond over how people lived and he learns a lot from her and vice versa. 

Later she drops by his place again and musician boyfriend is there and she’s not surprised or hurt and tries to leave rather than third wheel it. But ends up invited to stay and they end up all piled up enjoying time together and talking turns to cuddling and cuddling turns to more. Yen and Jaskier don’t always get along when Geralt isn’t around but they tolerate each other when they’re together as a threesome because Geralt likes it so much. And they’re not used to him being so happy.He doesn’t smile much or laugh much, but when they’re together he lights up a lot and so they play nice and tease gentler. When he’s not around they snipe at each other like usual. But Jaskier is happy to know Geralt has someone when he’s gone. Yen is happy to not have to be a couple at all times so she can live her life when she pleases and not be trapped the way she’s felt in the past.

So Yen loves the freedom she has because she’s not Geralt’s everything and Jaskier loves his freedom and so no one’s trapped. And if Geralt gets the itch to travel he can go with or without them. Or just go meet Jaskier somewhere he’s playing. He's not stuck, and Jaskier can continue to sleep around when he isn't with Geralt if he wants. The one ask Geralt typically has is that he use protection and get tested before coming back. It's something Jaskier finds no trouble to do, and Geralt is the only person he lets kiss him on the mouth. So in that, his relationship has some exclusivity. 

And eventually a scared girl shows up at Yen’s shop, she’s all of 12 or so and Geralt ends up rescuing her. They don't know that her grandmother had known Geralt, and had without telling him, put in some paperwork saying he was next of kin. They are vaguely related, but he wouldn't know that. All Ciri knew was that she had to find him, because he would keep her safe. She has trekked across states, lived homeless, worked a a thief, etc, all to get to him. She's incredibly resourceful and stubborn. She spends a few months as a ward of state while Geralt gets things together for the courts. The family that takes her is nice, and she gets along well enough with their two sons. 

Yen helps him get his foster care license and then he eventually adopts Ciri. Yen helps raise her and Jaskier does, too. 

They go to silly things like school events, and Ciri does talent shows and they go. And they attend parent teacher conferences and no one knows what the fuck to think because half the time Geralt shows up with Yen and the other half it’s with some musician Jaskier. They have no idea who he’s dating or what’s happening. And half of Ciri’s events all 3 of them are there and they’ve seen Geralt kiss both and hold hands with both. So there’s weird judgement about that. But Ciri is an amazing student and athlete and she’s happy and healthy so they can’t complain about her dad.

Ciri does great at science fairs. With her weird herbalist mom and ridiculous nerd dad. They live a happy life. And Geralt takes care of his horse Roach (Plotka) in the country and they move out there together and life is plenty happy. 


	2. A Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geralt has a terrible migraine, Yennefer takes care of him while Jaskier is out of town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta. I didn't really proofread. I posted some of it on tumblr, and expanded it a bit. I might end up expanding it more if I feel like it. This is kind of throwaway fic for me, I'm not super into modern AU's and I don't want to burn myself devoting time and energy to worldbuilding etc. So if you're looking for something serious and amazing and crafted... I'm sorry this isn't it. Doesn't mean I don't hope you enjoy it, I'm just warning you to keep your expectation bar low.

Yennefer noticed that Geralt hadn't come in for two days now. Somewhat concerned, he was usually in like clockwork, even when Jaskier was in town. He had told her some of the tea blends helped his stomach and various other problems he suffered from. She had even tweaked a few blends specifically for him to address days he had migraines or especially bad vertigo.

This was two days now that she'd prepped his tea and muffin and had it ready and he had not come in. Concerned, they had recently exchanged numbers and she'd spent a few wonderful nights at his apartment. Checking her phone she doesn't see any messages. Frowning, she slips her phone back in her pocket and decides to stop by his place after she closes up for lunch. The shop opens early in the morning and stays open till noon. Then she reopens around six for the after-dinner crowd. She should have plenty of time to check on him and make sure he's okay. He hasn't missed a day in months.

In a lull, she packs up a small bag of loose leaf tea, and a muffin. She can at least drop them off if he doesn't want company. She's never fallen for anyone as hard as she has Geralt, but he puts almost no pressure on her. He doesn't care about her sharp edges or odd interests, and doesn't try and force her to change. The least she can do is check on him.

After closing up, she finds herself outside his door, knocking, paper bag full of a few different tea blends and two muffins clutched in her hand. She isn't sure what to expect, and is startled when the door opens partway to reveal Geralt, barely able to keep his feet. He looks more haggard than she's ever seen him, and she holds up the bag.

"Haven't seen you in a bit, I should have called or texted first, I'm sorry."

"Should've called," he admits weakly, wincing at the light from the hallway. "Y'can come in, if you want," he offers, backing away from the door.

"I hope you don't mind me saying, but you look awful," she informs him, taking in the apartment as she steps in. She's been in several times and the place is always near spotless other than the coffee table he likes to read at. That's usually covered in books and papers. He tends to leave the blinds open to let in air and light, but everything is dark and closed. Worry settles lower in her stomach.

She's never seen him leave such a mess, there's trash all over. Dirty clothes, and a blanket half on the couch and half on the floor.

"Sorry about the mess," he tells her, hobbling back to the couch. He settles painfully in the seat, dragging the blanket up around himself and hunching miserably.

"I brought a few different blends," she says briskly. She came here to check on him and he's clearly in need. "And the muffins you like."

"You didn't have to do that," he tells her, rubbing his temples and closing his eyes.

"But I wanted to. Migraines?" She asks sympathetically.

"Bad one," he grits out.

Yennefer nods to herself and heads into the kitchen. She adds water to the kettle to make him some tea. She knows which mug is his favorite and takes it out of the sink and washes it while the water boils. A few minutes later, the blend is in the strainer, steeping in the mug. She brings it over and sets it in the coffee table, shifting some trash aside to use a coaster.

"Too nauseous to eat?" She asks him gently, keeping her voice soft, and gently squeezes his arm when he shrugs. "I can stay until a little before five," she offers.

"Don't have to," he says, leaning into her. She puts an arm around his shoulders and encourages him to relax. After a few minutes pass, he leans forward to lift the mug and sip the tea.

By the time he finishes it, he's feeling marginally better and starts picking at the muffin. "Thank you, Yen," he kisses her cheek gently.

"Of course." She squeezes his knee.

"I'll clean up," he starts to move and she pushes him back gently.

"Don't bother, I know you don't live like this," Yennefer reassures him. "If you did I would have seen it by now and wouldn't have come back."

He snorts.

Muffin and tea finished, he finds himself with his head in her lap, her fingers carding through his hair. The pain finally manageable, he sleeps for the first time in two days.

Yennefer wasn't one of those people who needed something to do at all times. She was content to sit there and gently stroke Geralt's hair while he slept. She'd known him almost a year, he showed up about an hour after opening every morning, Monday through Friday, and on rare occasion, Sundays. She had seen him on good days and bad, and over the course of the year he had opened up to her in bits and pieces until finally she wound up at his place during a storm.

She had realized Jaskier, the idiot who occasionally played in her shop, was the boyfriend Geralt mentioned. Mostly because he had been there, already making dinner and singing loudly. After the initial awkwardness, she had agreed to stay and share dinner. She had never regretted it. After that she had been invited back several times. Jaskier had been gone on a small tour for the past week, and she had spent most of it with Geralt. The past three days she'd been busy.

A little before it was time for her to go, she woke him gently, and slid out of his hold. She took his mug and headed into the kitchen to make more tea before she left. Dumping out the old leaves while the water boiled, she walked back into the living area.

"You don't need to clean up," she chided gently. "I'm going to work in a bit, and I'll leave Nico to close up. I'll be back at 10 to check on you." He was typically a night owl, 10 wouldn't be late to him. "Unless you don't want me to," she hesitates.

"That'd be nice," he agrees absently, the migraine obviously still taking up most of his energy.

"Do scents bother you when you're having a migraine?"

"Depends on the scent and strength of it," he admits, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I have some tinctures that might help, I'll bring them along."

"Thank you."

She leaves him again to go pour the water over the fresh leaves in his mug, and brings it back to him. "This place better look the same as it does now. I don't want you undoing all the good from the tea." She smiles at his grimace and kisses his cheek. "Although perhaps you should sleep in the bed, if you can."

"I don't like when it's like this," he protests lightly.

"If you pass out on the floor trying to clean you won't be able to let me in. And emergency services kicking in your door will make a much larger mess."

He grunts in acknowledgement. Then presses a messy kiss to her cheek. "Thank you," he tells her in a heartfelt voice.

"I'll be back later. If it won't make you sick, try and eat the other muffin." Half the trash she's seen are squeeze packets of fruit and vegetables, telling her he hadn't been up to solid foods but was trying to take care of himself. "If the mess bothers you that much, I'll help you with it when I get back. But until then, just try and relax." She kisses his forehead gently.

He lets her out and does as she says, taking himself to bed after he finishes his tea.

**

When she comes back after her shift, she’s unsurprised he still looks awful when he lets her in. A little better, and she knows he’s happy to see her. She has a bag of things that might help, and he near instantly agrees when she offers to massage his neck and shoulders a little to see if the migraine is from tension. They check the scent of the balm she’s brought and it’s mild enough it doesn’t bother him any. His skin isn’t especially sensitive but she insists on dabbing a bit on his arm just to check he won’t react to it before using it.

Geralt throws his hair into a messy bun, mentally noting he’ll need to take hours to brush it back out after sleeping on it in weird positions and then not fixing it before bundling it up. Her hands are cool on his skin and he’s happy to tug his shirt off and let her knead the tortured muscles. She always makes a little annoyed noise when she sees all the scars, some on his arms from vaccines that left marks, others from his escape attempts, and finally others from his escape and flight across Europe to get to the companies that did this to him.

The blend helps, and it mixes nicely with her own personal perfume. Although even that feels muted, and he wonders if she washed it off before coming over. She wears it so much it has more or less become part of her, and he’s not sure she could ever really get rid of the scent of lilac and gooseberries. Not that he minds.

Headache slightly eased, he accepts more tea from her, and a cup of chicken soup. It’s always so good and he closes his eyes in pleasure. It’s locally made by a farmer who brings it to Yennefer’s shop to sell on a commission basis. She gets a small percent of the money and the rest goes back to the farmer. It’s not a daily staple, either. So the customers are usually quite happy to see it stocked and it’s usually gone near instantly.

“How’d you manage to save any?” he asks her, squinting slightly.

She had turned on a small lamp in another room so she could see without irritating his eyes. But it was still bright enough in his current state she wasn’t sure it wasn’t hurting him some. Not sure what else to do though, she doesn’t turn off the lamp. “I asked him if he had any or would be making any soon, and he said he was coming by with a batch tomorrow. Asked if he had any I could take tonight or if he could bring it early. So I’d say things worked out in your favor.”

“How did you get someone that stubborn to change their plans even the slightest bit?” Geralt asked her, leaning into her slightly.

“Told him I had a sick friend who needed the help.”

“Hmm,” he agreed tiredly, feeling like there was more going on than he knew about. His head hurt too much to worry about it, and he set the cup down on the coffee table, pushing aside several papers covered in his handwriting and a few books he’d been referencing.

“Working on another paper?”

“I was.”

“Going to try and get it published?”

“I don’t have a doctorate, who would read it or take it seriously?” he told her, it was an old argument between them. He did incredible amounts of research, for his own pleasure, and wrote up his findings.

She knew he was brilliant. “Then use some of that money you’ve gotten from those slave trading bastards who treated you like a lab rat, and go get your doctorate.”

“And if I have a flareup while I’m trying? Or can’t teach the class, or miss the defense of my thesis?”

“Geralt, you can do it a bit at a time, it doesn’t have to be like that. And with a decent advisor…”

“Yen…”

“We’ll argue about this again, I’m sure,” she agreed to stop for the night. He was hurting enough already. “Here, would a hot shower help?”

“If I don’t fall on myself and break my neck,” he muttered irritably.

“Then I’ll come in with you,” she offered, standing up and holding out her hands.

He took them, knowing she wasn’t offering him sex, she was offering him genuine help. “Light hurts,” he tells her softly.

“I can’t see in the dark, but I can set my phone on flashlight out of the shower, so maybe it’ll be just enough I can see without hurting you too much. Or we could turn on the hall light and keep the bathroom door mostly shut.”

“Phone is probably better,” he admitted, as always, glad and surprised anyone cared about him enough to help him when he was at his worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan on sort of expanding all the little tumblr drabbles and what have you before I add them up here, and then maybe letting myself write new things, add more. But this is what's going up today. Hope you enjoy.


	3. A Bad Day Part 2

Ridiculously grateful for all of Yennefer’s help in the shower, he was somewhat surprised at how ‘professional’ she was. And at how strong. He always forgot how insanely strong she was. She hadn’t intruded on him cleaning himself, but when he had swayed or near lost his footing, she had been there to catch him. He was just so tired and in so much pain. While he’d been washing his hair, she had slid her arms around his middle and pressed their bodies together, shoring up his strength with her own. It had felt good. Not many people seemed to know the line between helping too much and not helping enough.

He had dried off with assistance and let her comb out his hair and braid it to keep him from rolling over on it. She had kept the braid loose and away from his scalp so it wouldn’t add to the headache. The hot water had helped loosen his muscles and he felt better. In increments, the migraine was easing. She didn’t try to touch him more than she had to, or force attention on him.

“Do you mind if I sleep here?”

“No,” he had mumbled, exhausted. When she’d made as if to leave, he’d caught her wrist. “Stay with me?”

“Of course,” she hadn’t expected him to want another person in his bed when he was feeling this poorly. She borrowed his charger and dimmed the sound of her alarm so it wouldn’t bother him as much when she left for work. If he was still like this after her morning shift she was debating taking a day off to keep an eye on him. She knew he hated doctors and medical care after all he’d been through, but he might need help he couldn’t get over the counter. Someone to check it was just a migraine and not something far worse.

Geralt curled around her, unbothered by the feel of her body or the dampness of her curls. He didn’t own a blow dryer, and she hadn’t brought a change of clothes so she was in his shirt. He wore nothing but his underwear, the idea of more fabric pulling on him deeply unpleasant. Soothed into sleep by the heat of the shower and warmth of her body, he barely stirred when her alarm went off a few hours later.

Yennefer slid away, kissing his forehead gently. If her loft had been properly soundproofed, she would have demanded he come with her, to rest above the shop where she could keep a pot of tea ready and check on him periodically. Unsure why he was bringing out a side of her she’d long thought dead, when they’d started sleeping together, she hadn’t promised him romance. Or friendship. In fact she’d promised the opposite. She had told him she wasn’t interested in monogamy, wasn’t interested in being in a relationship, and certainly wasn’t interested in feelings and mushy stuff. And yet, here they were.

It scared her at times, but she knew Jaskier would be back in town soon, and she could pull away again. Focus on herself, and her own things. Not that she focused on Geralt at the expense of her interests or life, but that she didn’t know if she liked dropping her guard like this. Being tender like this. He craved it so much she was so worried she would hurt him and let him down. She left him a note, using a piece of paper from the coffee table, letting him know she’d be back, and that she had taken his key and then slid it back under the door.

She didn’t want to leave his front door unlocked while he was in such a vulnerable state. And they hadn’t been sleeping together long enough that she felt comfortable just taking the key with her. Only it wasn’t just sleeping together, was it? She worked on opening her shop, starting the teas and setting up whatever equipment her café assistant would need. Nico came in later, and he would stay after she left, to clean up.

She checked over her supplies of balms, candles, and everything else she could think of. The shop looked good, the signs were neatly displayed. The floor clean, the counters wiped down. Everything as it should be.

Around ten she got a text and glanced at her phone. She’d put it on vibrate just in case. Geralt was informing her he felt a little better, had seen her note, and he would see her in a few hours. She smiled, relieved. She texted back telling him not to bother cleaning just yet, to give things a few hours and see if he really did feel better before he went and made everything bad again. In response he sent a frowny emoji and she grinned and rolled her eyes. ‘I mean it’ she sent back. Then slipped her phone into her pocket when one of her regulars came in.

Geralt, for his part, got up to get himself some water, make a cup of tea from the bag she’d left him, and sit in his room in the dark. Most of the throbbing was over, but he felt oddly sore and more than a little weak. Bored, once he’d finished the tea, he drifted back off into sleep until a knock woke him.

They ate a light meal together, and she slept at his side again.

When he woke up the next morning he was surprised she was still there. Even more surprising was that his headache was almost completely gone.

“I had someone cover the morning shift,” she explained. “I was worried about you.”

“Full disclosure, this is kind of normal for me,” he reminded her gently. “Not always, not every day…”

“I promise this is not normal for anyone, and there’s got to be a trigger,” she countered, stroking his hair gently.

“It is what it is,” he said heavily, eyes lidding in pleasure at her touch. Curling in, prepared to go back to sleep, “I know you said not to get attached, but I think it’s too late,” he told her softly. “I think I’m attached to you. So if you want to run, this is your chance,” Geralt’s voice slurred into a mumble as he drifted off again.

“I’m rather fond of you, Geralt,” she told him quietly, surprised at herself. “I don’t think I’ll run.” Soon enough she was sure he would. At least he had someone to run to, when she broke his heart. 

When he woke up the second time, he stayed awake, and they made breakfast together. She found herself helping him pick up his apartment and set it to rights. They spent the day together, on the couch, watching mindless TV and debating it. She left for her own place, rather than sleep there again, and the apartment felt emptier for it.


	4. Marigolds Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geralt wakes up after a party, finding out the person he slept with wasn't who he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what's wrong with me, but my brain wouldn't drop this.  
> It's canon compliant in that Triss uses magic to get Geralt into her bed, knowing it will hurt both Yennefer and Geralt. She also gets off on the fact he's hurt/upset/distressed while she's taking advantage of him.   
> I do not describe what happens, at any point, just after.   
> In this situation magic is replaced by rohypnol and alcohol. The emotional manipulation she gets off on is changed to bruising and scratches. 
> 
> Feel free to skip anything to do with marigolds when reading. The other chapters are much cuter/fluffier. When I get around to posting them.

Yennefer let herself into the small apartment, surprised Geralt hadn’t contacted her. He had briefly attended a small party with her the night before where he’d met several of her colleagues, professors, and former schoolmates. Her best friend had been a little overly friendly with him, by Yennefer’s estimation, and he had been utterly unsure of what to do with all the flirting.

“Geralt?” she called softly, unsurprised the place was dark. He’d left early, as they’d both discussed, but he hadn’t texted her or met her at the shop for breakfast. Which was unlike him. Jaskier was supposed to be back in town some time that day, and the three of them were planning to get together for dinner. Which would be hard to do if Geralt was having a flareup. Although it was unlike him to let them know he wasn’t feeling well.

The room smelled of sex and alcohol, which was even stranger to Yennefer. Geralt didn’t drink. His metabolism being so badly altered by the experiments meant he got horribly drunk very quickly, even if it passed faster than it would for a ‘normal’ person. Not to mention it usually upset his stomach, or so he had told her. But, there were a few bottles of hard cider on the table, along with two mugs. She sniffed one delicately, even more concerned when it stank of hard liquor. Concern growing, she walked into his bedroom, knocking lightly on the frame.

“Yennefer?” he slurred, startled awake, then moaned softly, raising a hand to his head.

“Are you alright?”

“When did you get up?” he asked, a little more alert.

“Hours ago, you should have been up and at the shop. Remember?”

“You said, you said that we could sleep in.”

“No,” she told him, her tone sharper than she meant it to be. She wasn’t mad at him, if anything she was frightened out of her wits. He was always aware of himself and what was going on, usually punctual, and he never drank. “Geralt, darling, I haven’t seen you since you left the soiree last night.”

“No,” he sat up as if troubled with ague. “You, I….I was here, I was here, and you showed up, and we had… there was some kind of cider, you said… I don’t,” he rubbed at his face, scraping a shaking hand across white stubble. “I… I don’t feel right,” he flipped on the small lamp on the nightstand.

She was shocked to see smeared lipstick across the corner of his mouth and on his cheek, and her jaw dropped when she noticed the hickeys. Bruises ran down his neck and over his chest. She could see teeth marks in some of them, as she approached. She knew firsthand he did not like being bitten in bed, much less this excessively. “Geralt…” she was almost angry with him, she realized. They had agreed not to sleep with other people without informing the other first. That was the agreement with all of them with the exception of Jaskier who was somewhat expected to sleep with groupies. His end of the agreement was that he would always use protection and get tested before coming home so that he’d have the results before he saw them. “I… did you at least use a condom?” she asked him.

“What?” He looked around incredulously at the disarray. His sheets were a mess, and he realized with a sinking feeling that he had not shared his bed with Yennefer. “I thought… I thought you were here, I thought I slept with you,” he scratched idly at his chest then winced and looked down. Geralt’s eyes widened as he took in the marks and he pushed the blankets away from his legs, making a choked sound when he saw that his thighs were just as marked as his chest. When he got up to stagger into the bathroom and look in the mirror Yennefer made a hissing sound that stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” she asked him, horrified.

He twisted back to look at her, then at what she was staring at. Looking over his shoulder as best he could, he saw raised scratches that trailed from as high on his back as he could see all the way down to his buttocks. “Fuck.”

“Geralt, I wasn’t here last night.”

“I…I need to clean up, this… nails, there’s bacteria and diseases under people’s nails, I need…. Once it’s all clean I’ll heal up, and the sheets… Did… are these deep enough I bled on the sheets?” he babbled, hands shaking.

“You can’t wash yet, Geralt, Geralt wait,” Yennefer grabbed a blanket from off the floor and dragged it around his shoulders. Easing an arm around him she led him away from the room and to the couch. She regretted it when she saw him flinch at the sight of the bottles and cups on the coffee table. It was still better than his bed. “Geralt, we should call the police.”

“No, Yen, it’s… We…. I don’t remember anything. I just need to clean up, I…I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to… do you think Jaskier will be mad?”

“What? Geralt, no he won’t be mad. Look at you.” She bit her lip for a moment, angrier than she could stand to be. So angry she knew it would scare him if she accidentally let a glimpse of it through. “Geralt, listen to me, and just hold tight for a moment, focus. This is all evidence, you can’t wash it away or throw it away.”

“Evidence? What, you think I killed someone?” he asked her, being deliberately obtuse. “Do you… god, does it look like someone was trying to fight me off?” he whispered, eyes huge. “Do you think I? That I…?”

“No!” She gripped his hands in hers and gave them a squeeze. “No! Don’t be stupid! You would never hurt anyone!” Agitated, she took a breath, struggling for calm. “Geralt. How did the cider taste?” she asked him.

“Awful, honestly, I should have realized, I’m so stupid. It was alcohol. I can’t believe…” he mumbled.

“Why was it awful?”

“Salty, I think, I barely remember.”

“What’s the last thing that you do remember?” she pushed, lead settling in the pit of her stomach. She knew why the cider had tasted salty.

“Your friend, she stopped me outside. Said she’d parked her car the same way I was walking, she’d feel safer if she wasn’t alone. So, I walked her to her car. She was kind of tipsy, though. I think…. I offered to call her a cab. She said no, my place… she was parked really close, so I, I offered… I offered her water…” his voice trails off. “I don’t have alcohol here, I don’t… could she…” he put both hands over his face. “It was in her car, the drinks were in her car.” Then he looked at Yennefer from between his fingers. “Oh my god, Yen, I was drunk. Was she drunk? I think I’m going to be sick,” he told her, and left the room abruptly.

Yennefer sat there on the couch, mind spiraling in circles as she tried to figure out which friend. She winced when she heard retching and then half wondered if he was vomiting up evidence, now. She wouldn’t call without his permission, but she did text Jaskier _plans are cancelled. Geralt not ok_ before setting her phone down on the table. Which friend? Who would do something like this?

_What’s wrong?_

_It’s an in-person thing_ she sent back, feeling ill.

_I’m a few hours out. Do I need to bring anything?_

_I don’t think so._ She glanced up when Geralt walked back in. “Geralt, let me take you to the hospital.”

“Yen-”

“Let me take you to the hospital, let them get whatever they need, and we can call the police from there. You don’t have to press charges, or do anything, but… if you decide you want to…”

“I can’t. I won’t go to the hospital.”

His accent got heavier when he was under duress or extremely tired. Yennefer’s heart broke to hear it back so strongly.

“I am not going, no hospitals. No police, no,” he jerkily shook his head. “Whatever you think I did, it didn’t happen.”

“Okay. I don’t think _you_ did anything,” she tells him. “Geralt, why would your drink taste like salt?”

“Because it was shit, Yen,” he huffs, shaking.

“Why don’t you remember anything that happened last night? Shouldn’t you remember getting gouged up like that?”

“Alcohol hits me funny,” his throat squeezes. “I need to shower.”

“Geralt, please. Please just wait. Just breathe, think about it a few minutes. If you do that, you can’t change your mind. You can’t undo it.”

“If we took this to court in what world do you think I could possibly win?” he asked her, voice shaking. “I’d go through hell, Yennefer. It’s bad enough I’m some kind of albino freak, but then I’ll be the guy who got, what, roofied? The freak who got roofied? Who would believe that? I’m not small, Yen, I’m not weak looking. There’s… even with evidence,” he shook his head again. “I’m not going to the hospital just so they can hurt me all over again, photograph all of this so it can be put on display in some courtroom for the jurors to laugh at… It’s… they’ll drag everything I have out. I’ll be the one on trial, not her. Jaskier… he’ll get dragged into this. You will, this could hurt your shop. They’ll make it out that I have multiple partners, it won’t… it won’t matter I don’t want to see anyone else,” his voice cracks.

“Okay. One cup of water. A piece of toast. And then, we’ll clean up the mess,” she promised. If a little more time to think didn’t change his mind, then she would drop it.

“I don’t even remember her name, Yen. Her face. Maybe it was just bad cider, maybe I said yes.”

“Just let’s get something in your stomach so you stop shaking, so you don’t pass out on me, okay? Can we do that?”

“I… uh, yeah, yeah we can do that,” he ran a hand over his hair, scalp aching. It felt like he’d worn a tight ponytail to bed or French braids. His hair is loose, and tangled. When he looked up again Yennefer is handing him a glass of water and he takes it gratefully. He winced when the bottles and glasses clinked together as she gathered them up and moved them into the kitchen.

_If you can make those few hours into less hours, that would be good._

_All this mystery is making me anxious._

_Then call him. See if he’ll answer._

_Should I be meeting you at a hospital, instead of his apartment?_

_Probably. But he won’t go. You know him._

_Traffic is a nightmare. I’ll call._

Geralt jumped when his phone rang, and it took him a few minutes of searching to find it. It was on the floor, mercifully unbroken. Clearly it had slipped out of his pocket when his pants had been removed. “Hey, listen…. This isn’t… oh fuck, god damn, I forgot… shit.”

“Geralt, stop, just, Geralt!” Jaskier had to half shout to stop the stream of curse words pouring through the phone. “What’s wrong?”

“I need… I need to go get checked for STDs,” Geralt laughed oddly.

“Okay,” Jaskier said as calmly as he could manage. That was surprising. Then it clicked. He almost dropped the phone. “Geralt, is Yen there with you?”

“Yes.”

“Has she already told you to call the police?”

“About a hundred times, I’m not doing it. I’m not!” his voice took on a hysterical edge.

“Okay. You don’t have to. You don’t have to,” Jaskier agreed hurriedly. He ran a hand through his hair before gripping the back of his neck. There was nothing he could do to speed up traffic. His driver was doing his best to find back roads and other ways, and it was still too far to walk any quicker than driving. “Fuck. Geralt, are you sure?”

“Am I sure I don’t want to be a lab rat again!? -Yen, I’m fine! I’m fine, it’s fine!”

Jaskier could hear the irritation in his voice and imagine the pale man trying to ward off his girlfriend. There was rustling on the line and he assumed Yennefer had won out because Geralt’s breathing was less ragged.

“I’m fine, lots of things have happened to me without my consent,” he muttered. “And it’s not like we know this didn’t, I don’t remember any of it. Fuck, maybe…just jumping the gun. You’re both… I don’t…”

“Okay,” he agreed tightly. “Okay, love, you’re right. It’s not our job to push.”

“Why aren’t you here now?” Geralt asked him in such a miserable voice Jaskier felt like crying. In the almost two decades he’d been with Geralt, he’d never heard the other man sound that vulnerable before, or so lost.

“Because I’m in the car on my way to you, and some jackass ran a red and caused a wreck. So there’s traffic backed all the way up to kingdom goddamn come. We’re outside the city. When I get there, I’m going to hold you whether you like it or not. And then after that you can decide what happens. But I haven’t seen you in weeks and I’d like to just sit together for a bit.”

“I can do that.”

“That’s good. I’m going to hold you to that,” Jaskier heard more soft rustling and choked breathing. “Do you want me to stay on the line? I will. I can talk to you, or sing to you, or you can just put your phone down and leave it on speaker and I’ll just be there, love.”

“No, no that’s okay. I need to shower. Thank you.” Geralt’s voice was oddly stilted and formal. “Soon right?” his voice cracked.

“In good traffic I’d be half an hour away. So yes, soon. I hope very much soon. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

By the time Jaskier made it inside, the apartment was clean. Yennefer stopped him at the door.

“He’s asleep. We got the sheets changed, I… I had to bandage up his back, some,” her voice shook slightly. “I don’t know who did this, but when I find out, they will regret it,” she hissed.

“Bandage his… what?”

“Just, be gentle… he’s… he’s hurt.”

“Yennefer.”

“Wake him up, don’t let him sleep. I promised I’d tell you that. I’ll be back. And he really does want you to wake him.”

“What, Yennefer, I still don’t understand what’s happening,” he protested, catching her arm.

“I think you do. But that’s for him to tell you, how he pleases, and then I’ll fill in after. Go be with him. Be mindful that whoever did this marked him, shoulders to ass.”

“Fuck,” Jaskier grimaced.

Geralt did not like when lovers did that to him. He had gotten mad at the musician approximately once in bed, and it had been over some bruises across his collarbone. He didn’t like seeing the marks on his skin, didn’t like the attention any of it drew if it was above his shirt collar… little marks and imperfections on his skin drove him insane. Flaws. Things to pick at and obsess over and wonder why the experiment to fix that sort of thing hadn’t. Reminders that the attempts to completely rewrite his DNA and physiology had failed.

He let Yennefer leave, unable to stop her and go check on Geralt at the same time. He also sensed she desperately needed an outlet of some kind and couldn’t be in the apartment anymore.

It was easy enough to wake Geralt by stroking his hair. It was still damp, and the soft hairs framing Geralt’s face curled slightly across his cheekbone. “Hey, love. I’m here.”

Geralt instantly pushed his face into Jaskier’s chest, unashamed of the need for comfort and familiarity. Yennefer had been so good to him when she’d helped him clean up. She’d gotten him into the shower and helped him wash out the scratches in his back. She’d helped him dry off and even made sure to clean and disinfect the wounds before using Neosporin and bandaging over the open cuts in his skin. She’d been especially careful with one or two bitemarks that had broken open the flesh of his shoulder. Without his help, while he’d been trying to eat a little more -mostly to please her- she had changed the sheets on his bed and bagged up the old ones. She left them by the trash, where he could decide what to do with them from there.

“We should get you to a doctor soon, Geralt. We don’t know if this person had any…. Anything.”

“I know,” Geralt’s voice cracked.

“There’s a clinic, down the street from here. I’ve used them a hundred times. We’ll get whatever that medicine is, the PrEP stuff, to make sure, and they’ll just do a quick test for anything else. I’ll be with you,” he promises.

“Can’t it wait?”

“Yes, it can. They close around five, stop taking patients at four. So you have until four.”

“That’s not enough time,” he protested. “That’s only a few hours.”

“I know. But once it’s done, we’ll just come back here. We’ll order from one of your favorite places, we’ll curl up in bed after we eat, and it’ll just be us. And we don’t have to talk about it, or anything else. We can put on one of those Kentucky derby reruns for all I care -fuck knows why people film those, or Seabiscuit or whatever.”

“I hate Seabiscuit,” Geralt muttered.

“Fine! Animal planet! Surely they’ll have something that we can agree on!” Jaskier told him in mock exasperation, kissing his forehead gently. He held Geralt against his chest until it was time to go.

He stayed with him the entire time they took a blood sample, and while he couldn’t and didn’t want to go in for the urine sample, he was right outside. The doctor knew something was obviously wrong, but even with gentle questioning, Geralt refused to give anything up.

He fussed unhappily with the x-shaped wrap around his arm, and Jaskier took his hands to stop him. Thankfully the clinic kept the meds on hand and was able to give Geralt what he needed without making him wait or go to a pharmacy. He took the pills right then and there, happy to leave the packaging and not have to bring anything home to remind him of any of this.

Yennefer still wasn’t back, but that hardly mattered just yet. She had taken care of Geralt when he’d needed it most, Jaskier could handle the rest. He was concerned about her, too, though, and wasn’t sure what to do. They weren’t especially close, enough to hang out, enough to share Geralt, but not enough he would know what to do to help her just then even if she was around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things have just sucked, and I guess I ended up writing things that were sad.


	5. Merigolds Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geralt gets love and cuddles. He and Jaskier have a conversation about their relationship.

“Stop picking at the wrap. You have to wear that for four hours they said, so leave it be, love,” Jaskier told him, taking his hand and cradling it in his own. “Here, let’s put on Animal Planet, and just zone out for a bit, alright? And then in an hour or so, we can order some dinner, okay?”

Geralt grimaced at him in response, but allowed the coddling. If he was being honest, he was grateful for it, happy to let Jaskier take over. He didn’t want to think, or process, or be mature, he wanted to curl up with his boyfriend and wallow. It felt so good to be loved and taken care of. Especially the way Jaskier did it. He was so over the top about everything. They were curled up under Geralt’s favorite blanket, Jaskier had insisted Geralt rinse off the clinic and change into soft clothes, had made them both tea and set up waters with ice cubes and lemon…

“If there was one thing, possible or impossible, I could do, or say, right now, that would make you feel better, what would it be?” Jaskier asked suddenly, startling Geralt out of a pleasant numbness he’d sunk into while they watched some program about zebras.

“That you’ll stop sleeping around,” he said before he could stop himself, half asleep. Then he realized what he’d said and his eyes rounded in horror. He sat up and pulled away from Jaskier, shame crippling him. He had felt so good, his head on his boyfriend’s lap, Jaskier’s fingers stroking his hair, easing some of the hurt in his scalp… and now he had ruined everything between them forever. “I didn’t… I didn’t mean to,” he hated himself. “I shouldn’t’ve… that’s never, no, I… forget I said that, please forget I ever said that,” he begged miserably.

“Geralt,” Jaskier said softly, knowing why his lover was so distressed. “It’s alright, it’s alright. Come here, come on,” and he held his arms out until the other man resettled against him, chest heaving. “It’s alright, I promise. You know I won’t lie to you. Or tell you what you want to hear. We can have this conversation now, if you want to. Obviously, it’s something that’s been bothering you, if it would make you feel better for me to stop.”

“Jaskier, I can’t, if we talk about it, right… after you think whatever happened, I can’t. It can’t be because of this… it’s not right.”

Jaskier leaned in and kissed Geralt softly on the lips. He quirked his lips in a slight grin, and sang softly, “I keep a close watch on this heart of mine,” and he saw some part of the tension in Geralt ease. It wasn’t ‘their’ song by any means, but it was one of the first songs Geralt had heard him sing. He’d been doing a Johnny Cash cover night, and Geralt had happened to hear him. Back when he was still in college. “I keep the ends out for the tie that binds, because you’re mine, I walk the line,” he finished out, kissing Geralt again. “You don’t sleep with other people while I’m away, do you?” he asked softly.

“No,” Geralt huffed a sigh, shifting on the couch to tuck his head under Jaskier’s chin. The musician snorted in amusement, and then slipped his arms around Geralt’s shoulders. “Just Yennefer.”

“I was rather surprised, I’ll be honest,” Jaskier admitted. “Your exes, they’ve all been men as far as I know.” He ran his fingers over Geralt’s arm gently, normally he would have rubbed his back, but the scratches looked more like deeply unpleasant welts and he didn’t want to aggravate them.

“I didn’t mean to fall for her, she was just… she was just there, and we bickered over…” he shrugs. “I don’t want anyone else,” he whispered, ashamed. “I don’t want to share you, but that isn’t fair.”

“And why isn’t it fair?”

“You never wanted that, you told me, you told me when we first started dating you weren’t the type to be exclusive.”

“It has been ten years or more since I said that,” Jaskier said comfortingly. “Geralt, people can change a little. I admit my whole personality won’t shift, but… we can start with something smaller. Like, I won’t sleep with anyone without giving you a heads up. Isn’t that the same agreement you and Yennefer have?”

He nodded, although unless Yen was lying to him, they’d been exclusive for months now. Which he liked. A lot. He hadn’t realized. It seemed wrong to him, to want two people to tie themselves to him and to expect that they would be okay with it. If they had been super into each other, maybe it wouldn’t feel like he was being childish or greedy.

“Geralt…” Jaskier said softly. He pressed a kiss to his lover’s forehead, running soothing fingertips up and down his arm. “I love you.” If he was being honest, he’d been sleeping with fewer people while away. Sometimes he didn’t sleep with anyone. It wouldn’t be hard to cut back even more, for Geralt’s sake. “I will always come home to you.”

Geralt heaved a sigh. “I didn’t mean to bring it up like this. I was… I was going to wait until you were leaving, so if it… it was bad we’d have space.”

“Did you think I’d be angry?” Jaskier was genuinely curious, and a little hurt.

“I didn’t know what to think. I fell in love with you knowing who you were, and it seemed… wrong of me to ask you to do something different. Especially after so long.”

“Oh love, people grow and change. Not always a lot, but perhaps I’m getting tired of sowing those wild oats, maybe I’m getting closer to wanting to settle. It’s always what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“I don’t… I like my peace and quiet,” Geralt protested softly.

“But the only apartment I have is yours, this is my home, and you always make space for me. Would it be so wrong for me to travel just a little less?”

“You could stay more,” Geralt agreed. “I wouldn’t hate that.”

“Good,” Jaskier kissed his cheek. “Let’s get some food ordered, what’re you in the mood for?”

“Surprise me,” Geralt grunted, uninterested.

Jaskier ordered them food, and when it arrived they ate together.

Eventually, Jaskier realized Geralt was uncomfortable in the apartment. Unable to settle. He couldn’t remember what had happened, but bits and pieces came through and he felt wrong. A quick series of texts to Yennefer saw them headed over to her loft, and it didn’t take long for Jaskier to settle Geralt in bed. Yennefer joined them after a while, and after Geralt fell asleep, she and Jaskier talked for a while. She felt awful that anyone she knew could have done this, and wished she knew who it was.

Vaguely comforted by Jaskier’s assurances it wasn’t her fault, she gently traced the shadows across Geralt’s face as he slept. He curled between them, safe, and surrounded by love.


	6. Marigolds Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some good comes out of the mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know if you save a file in word, and then lose the paid file for word, it won't let you copy and paste your own fucking work into anything else? So you can't transfer it to docs or somewhere else? So I had to email myself the file and then download it as an open office file because it wouldn't let me open it straight from my file as is.   
> So, that was a mess. Point is, use openoffice, they aren't stealing your shit. 
> 
> This is a much gentler chapter.

Geralt woke up sandwiched between his lovers. His arm ached slightly from having spent the night with the wrap on it. His determined attempts to get it off woke first Jaskier and then Yennefer. It took a matter of seconds to find a pair of scissors and cut it loose, and Jaskier tutted in sympathy at the bruising marking the inside of Geralt’s elbow.

Yennefer got up out of bed first, to make tea and warm up some muffins for breakfast. She didn’t like cooking and avoided it. Geralt could cook, but in a utilitarian way, and she’d rather he didn’t make food after the day he’d had. Jaskier was rarely in her loft and didn’t know where things were and she didn’t like the mess he left when he cooked.

It was nice to sit together, to wake up and eat together and she found herself surprised. Some of the agitation she felt was soothed by seeing Geralt calm and happy with both her and Jaskier. The sunlight trickled in through the windows and she pulled the curtains closed. Her lover had sensitive eyes and she knew while he liked natural lighting, too much of it hurt.

They ate together at the small table by the window, basking in the quiet of the morning together.

“I have to go open,” she told Geralt after a while, breaking the stillness. She ruffled his hair gently, kissing his cheek. She looked at Jaskier next. “In the bathroom, the medicine cabinet? There’s my own blend of bruise balm, arnica and what have you. It’s unscented,” Yennefer smiles at Geralt. “You should use it. It’ll help.” She kissed his lips again, and smiled when he nuzzled her in response. “There’s also a tin of salve that might help those scratches,” she hates to bring them up. Hates to admit any of it happened. She can’t undo it. And she can’t help but feel responsible. It was someone she knew.

If nothing else, she can help take care of him.

When she went down to work, Geralt stripped back down to his underwear and allowed Jaskier to help doctor his wounds over again. The musician tuts softly to himself, dabbing the scratches lightly. He can’t hide his expression, but thankfully he’s working on Geralt’s back, and there’s no way for the other man to see his face.

“The redness is already going down,” he uttered softly, shocked. He glanced over, gently tucking Geralt’s hair over his ear so he could look at his neck. “Even the bruising looks better.” It wasn’t an insane magical amount, but the effects were near instantaneous. He pressed a gentle kiss behind Geralt’s ear, running fingers through soft hair. “How’re you feeling love?”

“Better,” Geralt admitted, pleased by the gentle attention and no further pushing to see a doctor. Or to call the police. He ran a thumb over the bruise inside of his elbow, frowning. The tea, muffins, and quiet morning spent with the two people he loved most had been soothing. He tipped his chin up and leaned back into Jaskier’s chest for a moment, seeking kisses. Jaskier is happy to oblige him, gently pressing their lips together.

After a few more kisses, Geralt pulled away to redress. Jaskier sat with him, happy to hold him and be close. They hadn’t seen each other in weeks. “I was thinking.”

“Hmm?”

“That apartment of yours, of ours, really, the lease is up next month isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Geralt said hesitantly, not sure where this was going. He didn’t want to move. Well, perhaps he never wanted to go back to that apartment unit itself, ever again, but…

“I was thinking, maybe… maybe we could find a place together. And I’d be on the lease, this time.”

Geralt turned sharply to look at him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Because of what happened?”

“No, love, no. Maybe a little. You can’t live there. I suppose you could. But… no. Because of what you said. And because you’ve been my home for half my life now, Geralt. And maybe I’d like to start working on settling a little. Not a lot, not forever. I know you like having an empty apartment to yourself for days at a time. But, I think… I’d like a room to keep my instruments, and to work on my music, where I won’t bother you or take up the living room. And I think I’d like to see you more. I miss you when I’m away. I always do.”

“This is… this is… yes, I, of course, but. Jaskier, are you sure? I…we can go tomorrow? Or today, while Yen’s working, to go hunting?” he babbled, stunned by the prospect. Most of Jaskier’s things were already in his apartment, but there wasn’t enough space for him to set up a small studio, and when he was in town for more than a few weeks he usually ate up the entire living room which drove Geralt insane.

“Of course I’m sure, or I wouldn’t have said it. I was going to ask you anyway. Things just … happened that we couldn’t have predicted. I… here, look, I have proof I was thinking about it,” he pulled out his phone and dragged up several bookmarks. “These were places I thought we might like to look at it,” Jaskier smiled, kissing Geralt’s cheek. The taciturn man at his side looked lost, and perhaps a little overwhelmed. “I made sure they were in our price range, and that they have a pool. I know you said the worst part of our current place is that there’s nowhere to swim.”

While Geralt didn’t love swimming, it was easy exercise when he was hurting and just needed to move anyway. “Any of them have decent gyms?”

“Yes, see, and this one has a little community garden. And supposedly the rooms in these complexes are fairly soundproofed.” He gave Geralt a lascivious grin.

Geralt grinned back, unable to help himself. “For your music, so we won’t bother people.”

“Oh, yes, love, completely because of the music,” Jaskier agreed, leaning into kiss Geralt again. “Geralt, I love you. You know that, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good. It’s been… a long time. We don’t have to do this, but I wanted to. I want to. But only if you do.”

“Of… yes, I want to. Can… can it wait until tomorrow to start? We’ll go to all those places you marked, first. And if none of those work, we’ll find more…” his voice trailed off. He was just too tired to face something else new. So many new thoughts to process right away.

“Of course it can wait,” Jaskier looked at him and kissed his cheek. He knew Geralt just didn’t want to go back to his old apartment. Didn’t want to change clothes. Didn’t want to face any of it. But they could hire movers, have things packed up for them. Leave the old life behind and move on. If that was what Geralt wanted.

They stayed in the loft together, until they got hungry again. Rather than make a mess of Yennefer’s pristine kitchen they ventured downstairs. Geralt wasn’t overly concerned about people in the shop seeing him in sweats and a t-shirt. Plenty of people came in wearing even stranger garb. He wouldn’t raise a single eyebrow.

“We were thinking about going to pick up some food. Well, I was. Geralt was going to stay here. Did you want something?” Jaskier asked her, when she had a moment. She’d been helping a customer with herbal medicine.

“Depends on what you’re getting,” she pointed out, resealing some jars.

“Gerlat’s suggestion was nonexistent, so we can’t rely on him,” Jaskier said fondly, grinning when Geralt rolled his eyes and grunted in annoyance. “I was thinking Mexican?”

“I wouldn’t mind that,” she tapped a manicured nail against the counter while she thought. “Enchiladas would be good.”

“Chicken?”

“I’m not overly picky,” she admitted. “But shredded chicken sounds good. Don’t forget some sopapillas,” she smiled.

“Find out if there’s horchata,” Geralt glanced at Jaskier, he had been idly straightening up some candles that weren’t perfectly lined up. Yennefer typically didn’t want or need him to do things like that, but he was standing right by the small display and it was bothering him. He couldn’t fix his mess of a life, but he could fix that. Although, some aspects of his life were definitely improving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are loved. :)


	7. Moving Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no beta, no editing. Have fun.

The bruises faded as did the scratches. Geralt and Jaskier settled on another one-bedroom apartment, unable to find a complex with two bedrooms that they both actually liked. However, the new apartment had a 'storage' unit off the side of their unit and since it was on the top floor it was larger than a lot of the others, so with some minor soundproofing it worked well enough for Jaskier's purposes. Moving had been unpleasant, Geralt had very little to take with him overall, which had been somewhat heartbreaking to Jaskier.

Yennefer had helped with some of the packing and insisted on throwing out everything with holes in it or stains. Geralt had a tendency to use things until they deteriorated, forgetting he had money and could afford to replace basic belongings like sheets or towels. She took the liberty of setting up his new place with a new set of towels and sheets, so that when he brought the last round of boxes up the steps and needed to shower and sleep, he had something new and fresh waiting for him.

He and Jaskier showered together, quickly, for utility's sake rather than pleasure. Geralt was starting to get a migraine from the exertions, and while he could drag hundreds of pounds of things up three flights of stairs, it still took a toll later. Jaskier made sure he survived his shower, and got the sweat out of his hair and helped him dry off quickly before shooing him into bed.

“I'll finish unpacking some of the kitchen so we can make tea tonight, but you rest first. We can unpack tomorrow, and the day after, and as many days as it takes,” he promised, kissing Geralt gently. Geralt had protested, but head aching, had given in. the gentle sounds of newspaper unfurling and soft clinking of the dishes didn't wake him. Jaskier sliding into bed with him hours later didn't wake him, either.

Yennefer letting herself in to bring in dinner didn't rouse him either. She was relatively unsurprised he had worn himself out. Or that Jaskier had, too. They had both woken early, determined to get everything moved in the span of a day. Most of their packing had taken place less than 24 hours before the move, simply because it hadn't occurred to her they wouldn't start preparing weeks in advance. Or at the very least several days. If she had known they would forgo any kind of planning she would have shown up to get things started well in advance.

She settled on the bed next to Geralt, lightly stroking his hair back from around his face. She traced the angle of his cheekbone, letting her fingertips slide along the curve of his jaw. Finally, his eyes slid open and he looked around blearily before focusing on her. “You need to eat,” she informed him gently. “Or you'll be sicker tomorrow.” In her opinion, Jaskier could fend for himself. He hadn't been used as a walking, talking, breathing experiment by some secret government lab for half his life. Geralt had, and while it had given him some benefits, it had taken so much from him, as well. Not his kindness or softness, not the goodness in him that brought out parts of her she'd thought long buried. And while she'd sort of hated it at first, and had run and come back several times, she was here now. Sharp edges and all. He never seemed to mind how many times she cut him, he was always waiting for her with open arms.

“I think you might have overdone it,” she told him gently, watching as he moved stiffly out of the bedroom and into the small dining area. He grunted in agreement, wishing he hadn't decided to drag the couch up by himself while Jaskier was otherwise occupied. Just because he was strong didn't mean exertion didn't cause his heart to do odd things, then causing the rest of his body to do equally unpleasant things as well.

Head starting to ache in a way he knows means he won't be moving the next day, he looks in surprise at the mug of tea waiting for him. “You always know,” he mumbled to her, picking it up and savoring the warmth of it. With his heartbeat being so much slower than most people's, his extremities were often cold. He sipped the tea, knowing from the scent that it was one of the ones that worked well to mitigate his migraines.

“I have some balm I can try working into your back and shoulders, see if that will ease up some of the tension and ache,” she told him. “Or Jaskier can do it,” she said, glancing at the doorway to the bedroom where the brunet was emerging in a sleep-tousled mess. She snorted delicately at his hair, and the general rumpled look of his clothes. Not that Geralt would have looked any better if she hadn't been smoothing out his hair before he even woke up.

The food is simple, and when he finishes looking it over he sets his mug down to pull Yennefer into a hug and a long kiss. She had done them so many small kindnesses. Fresh produce, simple cuts of meat -it was more of a snack tray than anything else, but it was tailored around his sensitivities and needs so he could eat without worry.

She lightly slapped his arm, “Stop fussing with me and go eat something,” she said sharply, embarrassed by the attention. He kisses her forehead in response, but ambles back to the food and picks up his mug again before picking at the selection with his fingers.

Jaskier glances at him, and then at Yennefer and pulls two plates from the cabinets and hands one to Geralt who sets it by the food, fills it from the tray, and wanders back over to the couch. By the time he finishes his food and puts the plate in the dishwasher he feels a little better. Can't feel his pulse in his temples or behind his eyes anymore.

When Jaskier settles with him, sliding a hand up the back of his t-shirt, Geralt leans happily into the touch. “Yennefer says she brought some of that muscle balm you like,” he offers. He smiles when his lover nods sleepily. “Will you be able to stay awake long enough to change into sleep pants if I let you alone for a moment or two?” Jaskier teases, watching Geralt give him a halfhearted glare and then a nod. “Are you sure, love? You look positively exhausted.”

“Fuck off,” Geralt mumbles at him, stripping out of his shirt there in the living room.

Yennefer puts the remains of the food into the fridge before rolling her eyes at her lover. She glances around the apartment, wondering how many days it will take them to deal with all the boxes. The apartment is much nicer than the last one, high ceilings and big windows. Their living room area is separated from the kitchen by a small dining space, and a screened sliding door opens onto a balcony large enough for patio furniture. Not a lot of it, but enough for a few chairs and a small end table. She smiles and thinks of how much nicer this will be, other than the stairs up. The walls are lighter, no longer the same grey she's seen in prisons on film, instead they're a light beige, something easy to accent with colors of any kind. The thick wooden blinds are natural wood, not painted, and the cabinets match. She's never liked when people paint over wood. It's harder to clean than just polishing, for one. Not to mention it frequently looks tacky after several re-paintings.

“You like it?” Jaskier asks her after a moment, setting his own plate into the dishwasher.

“It has a light feeling to it that the old place never did,” she admits.

“It took quite a bit of arguing that it was well within our budget. It's about twice the cost of the old place.”

“I take it it's still several hundred dollars under budget?” she snorts. It's not that Geralt won't spend money it's that he seems to think he doesn't have any to spend in the first place.

“It is,” Jaskier admits. “I think we'll be happier here. I'll make sure we have the light blocking curtains so on his bad days the windows won't cause him any suffering, but I think considering how much he hates artificial light this will be good for him. Good for his headaches, too, able to sit and read and work on his papers without needing to turn on the lights very often.”

Yennefer nods. She hadn't ever really liked Jaskier much, even if she let him play at her shop. Not until she saw him with Geralt. She had never liked how he slept around and flitted about without any permanence or substance to his life. But through Geralt she'd learned he had another side to him. One that she found she genuinely did like.

“You'll have to convince him at some point that awful mattress has to go,” she told him idly.

“Oh, I already ordered a new one. It should arrive while he's at the shop getting his tea and muffin,” Jaskier smiles. “I would have thrown this one out and never brought it here if I could have gotten the new one sent here before the move, but, alas, here we are.”

Yennefer snorts. “He'll notice.”

“Oh I know he will. That doesn't change the fact it's for the best.”

“No, it doesn't. I wager he's asleep by now,” she says, pressing the balm into the musician's palms.

“Keep him late tomorrow, if you can? So I have time to fix up the bed for us.”

“I'll try. I think he'll be hellbent on unpacking all these boxes.”

“Oh I'm sure. Why not take his time and avoid making himself sick when he can try and do everything all at once even if it ends with him on the floor?”

Yennefer rolls her eyes in agreement, and slips into the bedroom to rouse Geralt just enough to kiss him goodbye. The mint of his toothpaste lingers, and she's glad he had the presence of mind to take care of himself before passing out. She smiles when he shifts on the bed to make room for her, and she strokes his hair gently, “Not tonight, darling. Not tonight, tomorrow.” She ignores the soft sigh he huffs, and presses one last kiss to his temple before taking her leave.

When Jaskier crawls into bed, Geralt shifts again, and it takes them a few moments to settle comfortably together. His white hair fans across Jaskier's chest as he settles his head at a better angle. Jaskier smiles and allows Geralt to shift around to his heart's content. He knows the other man isn't even really awake. He lightly runs a soothing hand up and down Geralt's back, waiting for him to rest. He hums lightly to himself for a few seconds, and Geralt stills. They fall asleep together, wrapped in each other's arms.


	8. Moving Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unedited.

Geralt sat quietly at one of the small tables in the cafe section of Yennefer's shop. He felt groggy and worn out, for all he'd slept well. Jaskier had kicked him out, promising to get his clothes unpacked and put away so there'd be more space for them to finish the bedroom. The kitchen was unpacked enough they could use it, so it could wait. Comfort would come next. They'd started with the bathroom, then the kitchen, and now their bedroom. Then they would tackle the living room together.

It had been nice to wake up with Jaskier, it was a relatively rare occurrence. And in spite of how much activity they'd done the day before, Geralt had felt up to more than just some morning kisses. It had been good to touch and be touched, to be wanted and loved. Truly one of the more perfect mornings.

He didn't process Yennefer walking over to him during a lull, but he did notice when she gently pulled the tie from his hair and started finger-combing it out. “You look like you fucked first thing and just put your hair up,” she informed him, knowing full well that's exactly what happened. Especially when he snorted and tipped his head down and to the side slightly. She carefully eased out the snarls, smoothing the long white strands into an even ponytail. Satisfied with her work she gently looped the tie back into his hair. Kissing his temple, she lightly scratched the short hair at the base of his skull, “We need to trim this back up, it's getting long,” she informed him lightly.

“Your customers will notice you petting and fawning all over me,” he informed her, embarrassed by the public display of affection.

“And?” she asked him. “So what if less of them hit on me?”

“Maybe it'll encourage them. I started out as a customer here,” he points out, oddly flattered by the attention anyway. She was beautiful in every way he was not. Perfect and small and delicate with a hidden strength -silk and velvet over steel. Despite her tendency to only wear black and white, she was full of color where he was stripped of it, luxurious thick black curls that hung like a cloud around her, framing a delicate face with beautiful violet eyes and perfect rose lips... where he was pale. Bleached. Like a corpse. Shaking away the thought when he feels her pinch the top of his shoulder, he glares at her.

“I can tell when you're thinking unhappy thoughts, your face is too transparent,” she informs him, and he scowls at her. “Like that,” she laughs. She glances up when she sees someone approach the counter and gives Geralt a quick pat on the shoulder before heading over to help her customer. They leave with several small bags of tinctures and herbs and she glances up to make sure Geralt is still there. Jaskier will text her when it's safe to let him leave. Apparently the mattress had shown up on time, but the old one was being hauled out and he hadn't had a chance to make the bed yet. Or clean up any of the mess from having something unpacked, or delivery men carting things around.

“Go up and take a nap,” she told him, indicating the door to her loft. “You have your key?”

He pulls out his keyring, showing her he has it. “Yen, I have to get back to help unpack.”

“If you think that good for nothing musician is awake yet you're insane, you know damn well he'll sleep late like a teenage boy and wake up hungry and then he'll finally be ready to get to work some time around three in the afternoon.”

“That's not fair,” Geralt protested lightly. A few years ago it might have been. Probably was.

“All the same I can text him and tell him I sent you up, I'll wake you up when we c ose to prep for lunch, and you can go back and help him. Provided he's even awake yet.”

Geralt debated with himself, and then with her, and when she pulled out her phone, tapped out a message, hit send, and showed him, he saw no indication Jaskier had seen the text after several minutes, and shrugged to himself. They were supposed to unpack together when he got back.

“He's not awake, see? Go, sleep for an hour or two, I'll wake you up.”

He shrugged uncomfortably, but he was still tired.

“Maybe rinse off while you're up there,” she leans in closer to his ear, “You smell like sex.”

He'd blush if he could, and he finished the last of his tea, handed her the mug and walked away, too embarrassed to finish the conversation. He let himself into the upstairs loft, and made use of Yennefer's shower as recommended. Clean, he settled in her bed, setting an alarm on his phone. He didn't trust her to wake him up.

To his surprise, she kept her word, waking him up with a kiss. Jaskier had asked if she could delay Geralt a bit longer, and she was fairly sure she could. But that it wouldn't necessarily be easy. Not unless she could catch him just right. Making sure the door was locked, she stripped out of her top and slid into bed with him, kissing his neck and cheek. Slipping a hand up the front of his shirt, she pressed her cheek to his, gauging his reaction. She felt him smile and when he rolled onto his back to kiss her properly, she let him unhook her bra and toss it aside, glad he'd woken up with some energy. Sometimes after a busy day when he'd had to exert himself too much he couldn't respond to her the way they would have liked.

While there were ways around it, neither one of them much felt like he should take pills for something that really didn't matter that much. They could still please each other plenty.

They spent some time together, celebrating the move, until they were both worn out and too sensitive to touch.

“Yen...” he said softly, voice breaking into the stillness

“Don't say it,” she warns him quietly. She could tell from his face, from his voice, the fear there. He wasn't really ready to tell her anyway, or he wouldn't look so conflicted about it.

“Do.... do you not....?” he swallowed hard.

“it's not about that. I know. Geralt, I know. We're alright as we are,” she pressed a kiss to his chest. “No need to try and be something else right now.”

“But...” he thought about it for a moment or two, and shook his head. “Okay.”

“I know, Geralt,” she reassured him, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. He sighed contentedly in response.

Some time later, they clean up and dress, and head back to the new apartment. Jaskier had wanted time to get curtains up, get the bed made, finish up the kitchen and get some food cooking. He wanted Geralt to have something nice to come home to, since he so often came home to an empty apartment. No one waiting for him, nothing on the stove. It didn't have to be like that all the time.

Geralt's flattered and well pleased, and he allows his partners to help him start unpacking the bedroom. They set up the drawers for both him and Jaskier, and leave one for Yennefer, should she choose to store anything there that could be folded instead of hung. Once the bedroom at least, feels like a home, they have a nice dinner together before Yennefer leaves for the shop again. She'll come back before close to spend the night with them.

She has the day off, and so she'll help them some with the living room, which will mostly be unboxing Geralt's books and leaving Jaskier to handle his own musical equipment. She can help Geralt get his books onto the shelves, and in whatever order he wants them in. She knows his system isn't necessarily alphabetical, but he does have a method to his madness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anything anyone specifically wants to see from this au ? I'm still working on some bits while I work on the long fic, and also panhandle via the internet (gofundme) to get hospital bills covered.
> 
> Hope you all are having a blessed yuletide.


	9. Storm Part 1

Geralt had some sincere regrets about coming out into the storm just to get his morning tea and muffin. He was soaked in spite of his jacket, hair dripping down into his collar, and he was cold in the unbearable way that early winter makes someone cold. As if it'd sunk deep into his bones and had refused to let go, taking hold like a malignant spirit that fed on aches, pains, and general misery.

By the time he made it into the shop, he felt he looked like a drowned albino rat of some kind. Yennefer would have disagreed, as would have Jaskier. They would have said he simply looked like himself but miserable. Or at least more miserable than usual. He did his best to ring himself out under the awning before stepping inside, but judging from the wet floor signs all over the place, he wasn't the only one dripping all over the floors.

Miserable, he hung his jacket up among the rows of pegs holding other similarly soaked coats, and did his best to pull his sweater away from his skin where it was clinging uncomfortably to his skin. There was a fireplace, usually it was for show, or for special events, but today it was blazing merrily and many people were hovering 'round it, vying for spots at the tables closest. He simply glanced at Yennefer, then glanced up at the door that led to her loft. She nodded, and he let himself into the stairwell and stumped up the steps.

It was a simple matter to strip, throw his things into the dryer, and then take a hot shower. The heat didn't seem to fully reach him, and his hands, feet, and face burned under the water. Warmed as much as he was going to be, he dried off and went to check on the state of his clothes. He startled badly when Yennefer came up, a steaming mug of tea in one hand, and a plate with a muffin in the other. He hadn't expected her to come up, and hadn't bothered to keep the towel on, the heat from the shop below keeping her apartment plenty warm.

“Sorry,” he muttered, awkwardly attempting to cover himself even if he knew she'd seen him naked hundreds of times.

She snorted, and set his breakfast down on the counter. “Niko has it handled downstairs for a few moments, it's mostly cafe customers right now anyway,” she informed him. Leaving the kitchen, she knew his clothes wouldn't be dry, and found a blanket in her linen closet that she passed him. It would help him stay warm and keep some modesty, if he so chose. She was too busy to take advantage of his lack of clothes or she might have tried.

After he'd wrapped himself in the blanket, he looked it over. A little surprised, it was a nice sherpa lined fleece, the inside creamy and white with the outside blue like the night sky. Amused and touched that once he'd settled with his food she'd come back out with a towel and brush to finish drying his hair, he sipped at his tea while she undid the hairtie he'd used to throw his hair into a tangled mess at the nape of his neck. While he had finger-combed it out, and as fine as it was, it wouldn't tangle much long term, he was happy to let her get the last of the dampness out. Not to mention he liked when she or Jaskier chose to brush it out.

“Where's Jaskier?”

“Touring,” he muttered, breaking off a piece of the muffin to eat. Just holding the tea suffused his hands with warmth and he felt better all over. Sipping it slowly between bites of muffin, he enjoyed the tug of the brush through his hair and over his scalp. She was always gentle with him. Even when they fought, and words were loud and ugly, somehow, she was always still gentle. As if she was aware she could cut him to the bone more easily than anyone but Jaskier. For all she had warned him time and time again she wasn't interested in love, wasn't capable of it, didn't have room in her life, etc, didn't want to take care of him or be in his life as more than a casual fuck, here he was in her kitchenette letting her groom and feed him. He had no complaints about the arrangement and felt she didn't either. They both knew the other was hurt and grieving. There was no expectation that being together would fix or change any of that. Often enough they hurt each other on accident, but it hardly seemed to matter.

“I thought he was planning to be around more?” she asked idly, listening for the dryer or for Niko to call her downstairs.

“He got kind of famous in some country and they're making him feel his celebrity,” he complained, hunching into the blanket.

Yennefer glanced at him, and knew he had been invited to join Jaskier. Even for just a few days. “Why didn't you go with him? Even for just a weekend?”

“It's full winter,” he told her, as if that was explanation enough. She lightly tugged a lock of his hair and he sighed in exasperation. “I'm cold enough here, I don't need to fly in a tin can thousands of miles to be ignored and left in hotel rooms eating shitty room service,” he elaborated, and she could hear the bitterness.

“How long was he home this time?”

“Two weeks, I think, I had a few bad days, hard to keep track of time,” Geralt shrugged a shoulder and finished his tea.

“The storm should let up in a few hours, stay up here until it does. Go to sleep, watch TV, read... just don't go back out there, we can't have you getting sick.”

“I don't get sick,” he muttered sullenly, pushing a boundary with her. Some days, this sort of thing would cause her to snap at him.

“You get sick,” she said dryly, unimpressed. “You might not get the flu, or the common cold, but you get sick. Just breathing dust wrong agitates whatever they did to you, or eating the wrong food sends you reeling for days. The cold might not make you sick like it would someone else, but it'll make you more miserable, and it makes you hurt all over, where you broke those bones-”

“I didn't break anything!” he snapped, agitated. The storm had him miserable, the air pressure changes, the cold, and here he was taking it out on her. “Yen... I....” he shrugged and looked at his hands. “I can go.”

“Not until the rain stops. You'll just get soaked again. And then bite someone else's head off. Besides, you're here because you're lonely, you have the tea at home you can make it yourself. I have work to do, I hope when I'm back up after we close you'll be willing to act your age.”

He grimaced at his mug, but nodded. He didn't want to sit around with nothing but a blanket, and after she left he checked on his clothes. His underwear was dry along with the t-shirt he had under his sweater. Unfortunately both sweater and jeans were still wet. Still, he felt less vulnerable and out of place with some clothing on rather than none. Flipping the TV on, he turned it to Animal Planet and curled up under the blanket, wincing lightly at the thunder overhead. He didn't envy anyone forced to be outside in this.

By the time Yennefer came back up, he had fallen asleep on her couch, body curled up as small as he could make it. She sighed heavily, wishing Jaskier was there to handle whatever mood had gotten into him, and not her. She wasn't good at giving comfort. Especially not when she couldn't understand why he would need it, or what was causing him to lash out. She ran a hand over his leg, unsurprised to note he wasn't giving off any heat. His hands were cool to the touch, and she had a feeling his feet would icy, but he'd tucked them under the blanket and without pulling it out from under him she couldn't check. Sometimes he ran hot, but frequently enough with his slow heart rate and poor circulation he was just cold.

“Geralt, wake up,” she smoothed his hair and rolled her eyes at the fact he'd even tucked his face into the fleece. “Not all the way,” she informed him, ignoring the soft groan of displeasure at her ministrations. “At least get into the bed, where you can stretch out and be warmer,” she pinched gently at his arm under the blanket, chivying him awake. She turned off the TV, and sighed before pulling the blanket away from him.

“Yen,” he sat up in protest, voice rough from sleep.

“Come to bed,” she told him, and he looked at her blearily.

“Already?”

“No, just come warm up with me. The storm hasn't stopped, so you might as well stay a bit longer.”

It took some prodding but she got him settled with her, tucking a heating pad between them. She often ran cool herself, but while it didn't bother her much she didn't want to make him feel worse.

She read for a bit, then fell asleep with him until she had to go back to work for the evening rush. He had been comfortable when she left him, and she hoped if the weather let up he'd make it back to his own apartment without losing some of the warmth he'd seemed to gather from the heating pad and bedding.

He had simply come over because he was lonely and miserable and she knew it. She didn't truly mind though, he was sweet and she enjoyed his company when he wasn't grizzling on about something or other. He could stay if he wanted to, but she had a feeling he'd retreat back to his own apartment to sulk alone without Jaskier. Rolling her eyes a bit, he wasn't there to see it.

As she was starting to close up, a person slipped in. Pale, small, and ratty looking. Half wondering if there were some new homeless kids in town, or another runaway who would appear on a milk carton or grocery store wall. She sighed and started packing up the baked goods that would need to be thrown out -usually she gave them to employees or froze them for herself for later, but this girl probably needed it more.

“Here,” she said, holding out a bag of muffins. “Eat by the fire while I close up, some people left some coats here, we keep a small community closet, you can see if there's anything in your size before you're back out on the street.”

“Please, I'm looking for someone,” the girl said, sounding oddly frightened. “My grandmama said I had to find him if anything happened to her.”

Yennefer's heart froze in her chest when she heard the girl's accent. She got out her phone and texted Geralt, hoping he was awake. “Are you his daughter?” She was under the impression he was sterile from the experiments, either on purpose from the company or as a side effect. They had simply used condoms for STD protection rather than for pregnancy prevention.

“No, but I am his,” she said clearly. “I am Cirilla, I have to find him.” Clearly the girl had done some kind of homework to get this close to him, but not enough if she had no idea he was upstairs. “His boyfriend plays music here, doesn't he? Have you seen him?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, come find me on tumblr, and check me out. stressedspidergirlsfandomblog -I also have a gofundme up to pay for hospital expenses if anyone has a few pennies to spare this holiday season. They're mad I can't pay the bill and their system is down so they can't set up payment plans and they're threatening to send it to collections.  
> I've paid half. So we'll see if I can even set up a plan or if it's too late. 
> 
> Hope y'all are having a much more blessed holiday season. Full of peace in spite of covid, and whatever winter weather is your favorite.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to toss out ideas or requests, and if I have time or they spark some inspiration I'll try and get around to it.


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